Compartments such as bins, tanks, elevators, terminals, and silos are commonly used to hold bulk materials such as grains, woodchips, coal, etc. for storage. For example, in the agricultural context, grain storage units, commonly called “grain elevators,” “grain bins,” or “grain terminals” are used to store various forms of flowable substrates such as wheat, rice, corn, etc. For simplicity, the term grain is used herein to refer to any type of flowable substrate. Likewise, the term grain bin is used herein to refer to all structures for storing flowable substrates.
It is very important to the grain, feed, seed, and ethanol industries to be able to ascertain the correct amount of grain housed in grain bins. Knowing the correct inventory is essential to the production of goods and therefore to the financial performance of the business. Getting an accurate measurement, however, can be very difficult. Grain is generally deposited into a grain bin from one location near the top of the container, but for various reasons, however, the grain inside the grain bins may come to rest in uneven, non-uniform levels. This uneven surface makes it very difficult for workers to safely assess accurate volumes.
Manual measurements of grain levels can be dangerous. For example, bins can develop hazardous atmospheres, which can limit the amount of oxygen available for breathing. In addition, grain can clump together from moisture or mold, which creates an empty space beneath the grain as it is removed from the bin. The “bridging” effect that forms from this circumstance can prove to be deadly to a worker who stands on the clumped grain. If the clumped grain collapses into the open area below, a worker standing on the collapsing grain could fall victim to an avalanching effect, which has the potential to burying the worker.
Systems for determining grain levels in grain bins without human interaction have been described in prior art. Single point measurements using technology such as bobs, guided wave radar, open air radar, and ultrasonic have been used to increase the accuracy of grain measurements. Multiple point measurements that implement technology such as 3D level scanners and bob systems are able to measure the level of grain at multiple points in the bin. Multiple point measurement systems that can scan the surface of the grain are able to take multiple measurements at once to better account for variations in the topography of the grain. Single and multiple point measurement systems, however, require new, expensive scanning hardware to be mounted to one or more points on each grain bin. The technologies used to measure the grain must be designed to not generate sparks that could ignite flammable suspended particulate matter in the grain bin.
It is thus desirable to provide a system for accurately measuring the amount of grain housed within a grain bin in real time safely and efficiently.